British LTA Cuts out Doubles and 24+ Year Olds

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 12th November 2013

British LTA Cuts out Doubles and 24+ Year Olds

epa03779510 A ball boy on Centre Court during the men's final for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 07 July 2013. EPA/GERRY PENNY |

Michael Downey’s arrival from Tennis Canada as chief executive of Britain’s previously high spending Lawn Tennis Association is now less than two months away but far more judicious financial measures are already in place in terms of player funding support.

From the start of next year the LTA will stop all cash funding to singles players over 24 and to doubles players of any age. In addition players aged between 17 and 24 will have to meet more stringent criteria before receiving any financial backing from the LTA.

Under the previous reign of Roger Draper and helped enormously by the financial backing of LTA banner sponsors AEGON, singles players each received up to £48,000 a year and doubles players up to £27,000 a year to pay for travel and coaching.

Now under new guidelines laid down by Nick Humby, the former Chief Financial Director and now Chief Operating Officer, the number of players eligible for the highest level of funding is expected to drop from 16 to six.

Even those who qualify for the funding – and they will need to have higher world rankings than in the past to do so – will have to repay to the LTA 20% of their prize money, up to the total they receive from the governing body.

The cutbacks will see the LTA’s total spending on elite players drop from £12m a year to £10m. There has been general belt-tightening at the governing body, which had been spending cash from its reserves and had more than £10m of funding from Sport England withheld this year because of a fall in the number of people playing tennis.

At the root of these measures is the fact the LTA is bracing itself for the impact of a smaller surplus from the All England Club – a knock-on effect from the 40% increase in Wimbledon prize money earlier this year.

Meanwhile, two heads of department, commercial director Lawrence Robertson and marketing director Adam Mason, have departed ahead of the arrival of Downey on January 6.

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The LTA decision to trim funding for British tennis has gone down well with former player Tim Henman, who believes that current hopefuls need a few hard knocks rather than a free ride in the sport. The BBC commentator at the World Tour Finals told British media that the tough love in the financial sense will ultimately benefit development of the British game.

“I think it’s good. It’s important they set the standards and send the correct messages,” said Henman, four times a Wimbledon semi-finalist and until 2013 Wimbledon winner Murray, the most successful British ATP player. “I think a lot of the time there’s too much emphasis on the LTA – it isn’t about the LTA. It’s the players who have got to take responsibility and look at themselves, not just have this sense of entitlement.”

Henman pointed to current tennis powerhouses such as Serbia and Argentina, where federation money has always been scarce but players have emerged anyway. “They don’t get much funding and they produce the players.”

The LTA will cut player funding by a third to around $800,000 per annum; players will now have to pay back up to 20 percent of their grants according to the prize money they eventually win. “The players have got to step up and produce the goods if they want the funding,” added Henman. “We’re very lucky in this country. We’ve got fantastic facilities, we’ve got the best tournament in the world, but the players have got to take advantage of it and not just expect donations.” Six British men rank in the doubles top 100 while Murray stands fourth in the world in singles.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Andy Murray, Atp, Lta, Michael Downey, Tennis, Tennis News, Tim Henman, Wimbledon